Ice tray



J. H. MINER Aug. 5, 1941,

ICE TRAY Filed Sept. 4, 1937 am J-LJTz'ner,

\ Patented Aug. 5, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICE TRAY James H. Miner, Meridian, Miss.

Application September 4, 1937, Serial No. 162,477

14 Claims.

The invention concerns ice trays for refrigerators having as its main elements a tray proper, and grid means removably mounted therein for dividing the space into compartments so that cubes of ice can be formed.

One object of the present invention is to provide an ice tray organization in which the user can obtain from the tray different numbers of cubes, according to the immediate demand, without 'dislodging or removing all the cubes which the organization is capable of forming.

A further object is to provide an ice tray organization in which a plurality of grid sections or dividers are employed which may be operated independently, that is, without operating the entire gn'd member, so that less force will be required to dislodge the cubes than if the whole number are dislodged at one operation.

The invention is shown in, the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a, tray organization embodying the invention, part of the side wall being broken away toshow the relation of the grid sections or dividers.

Fig. 2 is a plan view with the parts in normal position.

Fig. 3 is a plan view in which two of the grid sections have been operated to dislodge the cubes contained therein, while the remaining cube sections stay in normal condition.

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing another period in the operation of the organization whereby those grid members or dividers, which remain unoperated in Fig. 3 have been actuated to dislodge the remaining cubes in respect to those dislodged in Fig. 3.

In the drawing l indicates a tray of suitable metal, such as aluminum, of usual elongated form, having inclined sides and inclined end walls. Within this tray a divider organization is located consisting of a plurality of independently movable divider sections 2, 3, 4, 5. Each section is composed of a longitudinally extending partition or wall a and an inner end portion b which is ofiset laterally from the lengthwise central vertical plane of the tray. These ends b are adapted to receive between them a lever or tool 6 which preferably is of tapered formation. At the ends of the tray there are located yielding members 1, which may be composed of rubber, cemented or otherwise attached to the end walls of the tray. These rubber members are intended to occupy space which otherwise would be cccupied by the water or ice, and to provide facilities for the lengthwise movement of the center bar a of the dividers or grid sections when these are moved in a directiontowards the end of the tray by the operation of the tool or lever 6. This tool is inserted between ends I) of the dividers,

and if in Fig. 2 the tool is moved leftward, the diagonally opposite ends b, b of the grid sections 2, 3 will be pressed upon, and these grid sections will be moved lengthwise of the tray from the central point thereof towards the respective ends of the .tray, adjacent which the said members 2, 3 lie.

Such operation is illustrated in Fig. 3 where it will be noted that the yielding members 1 have been distorted or have yielded to allow the action just stated to take place to the same degree as though the spaces occupied by the yielding member 1, 1, were vacant. I

By the operation just stated, only two of the sections of the grid organization have been 0perated, namely, those marked 2 and 3, while the other sections 4 and 5 remainin their normal positions. It requires less power, of course, to operate the sections 2 and 3 than would be required if the whole grid organization were one unit, and had to be operated all at once. The operation of .the two sections 2 and 3 will enable the user to obtain say six cubes by removing these grid sections, while the remaining six cubes will retain their norm-a1 positions, ready for subsequent use when desired. Of course, by giving the lever 6 a movement leftward as above described, and then a movement rightward, the sections 4 and 5-will be stressed, and their cubes dislodged from the tray after the dislodgement of the cubes of the other sections 2 and 3 has taken place. In other words, a seriatum operation of the grid organization is possible with the improvement above described, namely, operation of the lever in one direction will dislodge the cubes of sections ,2 and 3, and this may be followed by the dislodgernent of the sections 4 and 5. In this way less power is required to operate the device. Furthermore, less cubes can be extracted than the whole number contained in the tray, and those that remain in the tray may not be disturbed at all.

The ends b of the grid sections may have overhanging lugs b as shown in Fig. 1, under which the lever or tool 6 may fit, so that if all the grid sections are desired to be removed after operating said sections, the lever may be employed as an aid in this removal, because by lifting the lever the sections will be lifted by contact of the lever with the overhanging projections b.

Any rubber compound suitable for the purpose,

or other material may be employed for use as yielding space occupying means. The purpose of these yielding elements 1 which may be of sponge rubber or other material is to provide an iceless space for the movement of the grid sections.

Either grid section may be removed after operation by the lever by using the projection b thereof as a finger hold for lifting the said grid when its ice cubes have been dislodged from the tray. If only one grid section is to be removed the operating tool or lever would be withdrawn, and as above stated, the grid may be grasped at the projection b, b and lifted from the tray.

Each grid section is composed of the longitudinally extending partition or bar a standing up on edge, and reaching to a point above the upper edge of the tray walls, and the projections b extend above the upper edges of these lengthwise extending partitions or walls a, so that they will be well above the water line. The dividers or grids in addition to the longitudinally extending partitions a also comprise the laterally extending fins or partitions 0. These may be of such character as to flex in relation to the main lengthwise partitions a, and Fig. 3 indicates this flexing action.

The cubes indicated at a: are tilted or twisted from their normal positions as shown in dotted lines, because of the flexing of the fins relative to the center bar 0. thereby assuming a position inclining in respect thereto. Rubber blocks 1 which provide the iceless areas or spaces within the tray extend only part way across the tray, leaving portions :1: of the end ice cubes to bear upon the end walls of the tray and serve as fulcrum points about which the twisting action of the cubes takes place.

I do not limit myself to the use of the iceless space occupying means for allowing the grid sections to have movement lengthwise of the tray.

The grid sections are composed of metal.

The partitions may flex relative to the center bar a to which they are attached.

I claim:

1; In combination in an ice tray organization for refrigerators, an ice tray proper, a divider comprising four sections mounted in the tray and individually removable therefrom, and means common to all the sections for moving a pair of said sections independently of the other pair,'substantially as described.

2. In combination with an ice tray organization for refrigerators having a space for the formation of ice therein, a divider comprising pairs of sections in said space, each section extending from a central portion of the tray towards an end thereof, and each section being adapted at its end which is adjacent the central portion of the tray to receive a hand lever for operating said sections in pairs independently, substantially as described.

3. In combination with an elongated ice tray, a plurality of dividers or grid members each comprising a partition extending from the central portion of the tray to or adjacent an end thereof, and carrying laterally extending fins and means for moving said dividers in a direction lengthwise of the tray from said central portion of the tray, said means engaging the inner ends of the dividers, substantially as described.

4. In combination in an ice tray organization for refrigerators, a tray of elongated form, a grid comprising four sections, two of which reach from substantially the center of the tray toward one and the same end thereof and the other two of which reach from substantially the center of the tray toward the other end thereof, each grid section comprising a partition member set up on edge, extending lengthwise of the tray and having laterally extending fins, and means for moving the said grid sections from the center of the tray lengthwise thereof, said grid moving means engaging the adjacent ends of the sections, the said sections being fitted within a space within the tray, substantially as described.

5. In combination with an ice tray of elongated form having a single space for the formation of ice therein, means for dividing the single space within said tray into cube forming spaces, said means comprising a plurality of grid sections in said single space extending each from the center of'the tray towards an end thereof, and movable lengthwise of the tray, and means for applying power to said sections for moving them horizontally relative to the tray, substantially as described.

6. In combination with an ice tray, a divider organization consisting of two divider sections reaching from the center of the tray towards one end thereof, and two sections reaching from the center of the tray towards the opposite end thereof, and means for moving diagonally disposed sections in pairs simultaneously lengthwise of the tray from the center, substantially as described.

7. In combination an ice tray, a grid or divider organization comprising a pair of dividers reaching from the center of the tray towards one end thereof, and a second pair of dividers reaching from the center of the tray towards the opposite end thereof, the adjacent inner ends of the dividers having overhanging lugs with spaces beneath the same, adapted to receive an operating tool, substantially as described.

8. In combination a tray longer than wide and having an ice forming space, four grid sections disposed within said space, said four sections being arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the lengthwise center of the tray and arranged to move outwardly from the center of the tray towards the ends thereof, the inner ends of said sections being adapted to receive a lever between them for their operation, each section comprising a bar extending from a point intermediate the length of said space lengthwise of the tray, and each having fins extending laterally, each of the four sections being mounted in said space to have individual movement in a direction parallel to its bar, thereby moving the fins laterally in respect to themselves, but longitudinally of the tray, substantially as described.

9. An ice tray organization according to claim 8 in which yielding means are located between the outer ends of the grid sections and the tray end walls to occupy space which otherwise would be occupied byice.

10. An ice tray organization according to claim 2 in which yielding means is located between the outer end of each grid section and the adjacent end wall of the tray, substantially as described.

11. An ice tray organization according to claim 6 in which yielding means at the ends of the tray are engaged by the ends of the divider sections to hold them normally in place but to yield when said'sections are moved.

12. In combination a tray, four grid sections therein, adapted to receive a tool between their inner ends for moving said grids in diagonal pairs towards the end-s of the tray and yielding means to receive the ends of the grids, said yielding means extending only part way across the end walls of the tray leaving portions of the ice cubes to bear on the end walls of the tray, substantially as described.

13. In combination an ice tray, grid sections therein having inner ends adjacent each other midway of the tray adapted to receive a tool between said inner ends, said ends having overhanging portions to receive the tool beneath them, said tool exerting pressure on a plurality of said grid sections to move one section in one direction and another section in the opposite direction, substantially as described.

14. In combination with an ice tray, a grid in four sections two of which extend from substantially the central portion of the ice tray towards one end of the same and the other two of which extend from substantially the central portion of the ice tray towards the other end of the said tray, each of said sections at its inner end being engageable by a hand lever, when said lever is introduced between the inner ends of the sections, said lever when operated in one direction moving two of the sections lengthwise of the tray and when moved in the other direction moving the other two sections lengthwise of the tray, substantially as described.

JAMES H. MINER. 

